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Sunday, June 22, 2014

Back to Galicia

We have been traveling, and I started this post when we were still in England, visiting family. (Post about that to follow when I finish the posts about Spain.) We got back late last night (actually early this morning), but I had promised to get back to two events in the earlier part of our Galicia visit, and here they are:

David and Pepe

David and Terri

FIRST: The Friday after our arrival -- April 11th -- We went with friends Terri and David to what is known as a "casa rural," but also includes a restaurant/bar and week-end entertainment. The name is Torre Vilariño, and it is co-owned by a cool hombre named Pepe. Alas, I don't know his full name, but here he is with David. And here is the website, which has lovely pictures of the rooms where one can stay, as well as the restaurant and patio.

On this particular Friday, two main musicians were playing. We had dinner first (around 9:30), and the music started around 11:00 p.m. One of the musicians sang, both of them played, and they went through a whole gamut of popular songs from the 80s -- in English. They were really good. Here are a few pictures:

The main duo.

The singer.

Hearfelt guitar work.

Occasionally a third musician joined them and sang along. They had a good sound! (I wish I had gotten the name of the group.)

Jamming!

The servers thought they were
pretty good, too. Singing along
with great gusto!

Susana, server extraordinaire!

The SECOND event was the Fiesta Medieval that takes place each year at the end of Semana Santa (Holy week). It used to only take place on Saturday, but now it has grown to include the entire week-end. We went both days. We love this fiesta, many locals dress up in costume, and small skits and re-enactments are put on in main streets and plazas. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves:

Processions . . . this is a special
Galician bagpipe called a gaeto.

A medieval damsel . . .

A verrry young knight Templar!

From one of the plazas.

And the little ones on burros!

Entertainers on stilts.

I don't know how
they do it!

This woman was really into
her role.

The ever-present
witches.

I suppose this is where the knights
collected their helmets.

To defend their king and queen.
(Isabel and Ferdinand).

King of Castile y Leon.

Another feature of this festival each year that we particularly enjoy is the showing of the raptors -- hawks, falcons, owls, ravens . . . Two trainers have taught them to do tricks, and they are always fascinating to watch, not to mention what beautiful birds they are:

Such beautiful birds! I think they said
this unusual raven (with the white stripe) is distinctive to Galicia.

The horned owl is so commanding!

But this hawk is pretty
impressive, too.

One of the trainers and a snowy owl.

The other trainer watching
a falcon he released.

They finished off the show
with an interval when people
could pet one of the birds.

And who would you guess is petting that snowy owl?
Yup. Yours truly. It was really an awesome experience.

So there you are: Two "local" events we thoroughly enjoyed. I hope you enjoyed them too.

How about you? Do you enjoy historical fairs and festivals? Have you ever petted a wild bird?

Hi, Wendy, thanks for stopping by. It definitely was a great trip. The visits were great, and it was wonderful to see friends and new places. The travel time (on the airplanes) was a little tiring. It's kind of nice to be grounded for awhile.

Jessica, I never used to go to them until we started going to this one. Then last December I went to The Dickens Faire in San Francisco. It's such a great experience, immersing yourself in the past. But then, I'm a history nut.

David, if it is any consolation, I never went out of the country until recent years. It really is life-changing, though. The world looks different after meeting people in their own countries.

Hi, L.G. Both comments came through. "Getting local" is what we like so much about going to Galicia. We have a house there, and now we spend longer times there. Mixing and mingling and not being a tourist really pulls us into the life there. I love it.

Hi, Deborah, yes, with your love of history and historical writing, I think you would have loved the festival. All those great costumes.

SCBWI Member

About Me I write mysteries, short stories, children's books, and poetry.

Thanks for stopping by. I'm a happily married author who loves to travel to Spain and India with my husband and blog about the many things I uncover in my research and travels.
I write mysteries, historical fiction and children's books. I hope you will visit often and leave comments and tell me about yourself.

The Best of Vine Leaves Literary Journal 2012, Jessica Bell

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